Historic Gift from South Korea Aims to Transform Nepal’s Dairy Sector

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In Nepal, Heifer International has been?working alongside farming families for more than two decades to help them grow their yields and incomes while feeding their communities.

Core to this effort to better lives and livelihoods is the process of Passing on the Gift?. This act of farmers sharing valuable agricultural assets, such as training, tools and seeds, creates a sense of community and mutual success in our regions of work, laying the groundwork for long-term prosperity.

This month, the South Korean government took this concept to a lofty level with the transfer to Nepal of 101 Holstein heifers and 20 high-quality breeding bulls donated by Korean dairy farmers.

This government-to-government initiative, known as the?Milky Way?project and facilitated by Heifer Korea and Heifer Nepal, aims to double milk productivity in Nepal and benefit more than half a million?smallholder?dairy farmers by 2030.

“We believe the gift of heifers and bulls will contribute to building a high-quality nucleus herd in Nepal, which will transform and modernize the dairy industry,” said Park Chong-Suk, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nepal.

This effort traces its history to the early 1950s when Heifer gifted South Korea poultry and cows to combat the severe hunger and poverty the country was experiencing amid the Korean War. Over time, the cows helped South Korea transition into one of the top three milk-producing nations worldwide.

The arrival of livestock in Nepal signals a similar opportunity to revolutionize the dairy sector, and a continuation of Heifer’s work to bolster farmers’ yields, incomes and access to reliable markets.

Expanding Incomes for Smallholder Farmers

For local farmers in Nepal like Rukmani Adhikari, who lives in Kamalamai with her husband Madhav and their three children, the incoming cows hold a promise of more profitable livelihoods and expanding incomes.

“People were excited when they found out the cows from Korea could produce 25 liters of milk every day, and I was overjoyed when I found out I was going to be one of the participants,” said Rukmani.

Like the other selected farmers, Rukmini and Madhav feel prepared for the new breed’s arrival following training from Heifer on?animal care and well-being. They also received technical guidance from expert representatives of South Korean dairy farming cooperatives.

The farming households will have readily available support from community agrovet entrepreneurs (CAVEs), local providers of basic livestock care who have been trained by Heifer and its local partners in monitoring and maintaining the health and well-being of the Korean cows.

Thanks to this collaboration and the ongoing coordination between the governments of South Korea and Nepal, the dairy sector is poised for more productive and profitable days ahead — and, with this change, more farming families escaping the grips of poverty and leading lives of dignity.

Read our full story here.

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